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Justice Kennedy’S “Gay Agenda”: Romer, Lawrence, And The Struggle For Marriage Equality, Lawrence C. Levine

McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Interrupting Life History: Evolution Of A Relationship Within The Research Process, Ronald E. Hallett

Benerd College Faculty Articles

In this paper the author explores how relationships are defined within the context of constructing a life history. The life history of Benjamin, a homeless young man transitioning to adulthood, is used to illustrate how difficult it is to define the parameters of the research environment. During an “ethically important moment” in the research process, the author had to critically analyze his obligation to his participant based upon the relational titles exchanged. As chaos in Benjamin’s life increased, a choice needed to be made about the researcher’s involvement in his life. Should the researcher provide support or simply document events? …

An In-Class Role-Playing Activity To Foster Discussion And Deeper Understanding Of Biodiversity And Ecological Webs, Loren B. Byrne

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

In a general sense, biodiversity is an intuitively simple concept, referring to the variety of Earth’s organisms. Ecologists, however, conceptualize biodiversity in a more nuanced, multidimensional way to reflect the enormous diversity of species, niches, and interspecific interactions that generate spatiotemporal complexity in communities. Students may not fully comprehend or appreciate this deeper meaning if they fail to recognize the full range of species in a community (e.g., the often-ignored microbes and small invertebrates) and how their varied interactions (e.g., mutualism, parasitism) and activities (e.g., ecosystem engineering) affect an ecosystem’s emergent structure (e.g., food webs) and function (e.g., decomposition). To …

Passive Energy Recapture In Jellyfish Contributes To Propulsive Advantage Over Other Metazoans, Brad J. Gemmell, John H. Costello, Sean Colin, Colin J. Stewart, John O. Dabiri, Danesh Tafti, Shashank Priya

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Gelatinous zooplankton populations are well known for their ability to take over perturbed ecosystems. The ability of these animals to outcompete and functionally replace fish that exhibit an effective visual predatory mode is counterintuitive because jellyfish are described as inefficient swimmers that must rely on direct contact with prey to feed. We show that jellyfish exhibit a unique mechanism of passive energy recapture, which is exploited to allow them to travel 30% further each swimming cycle, thereby reducing metabolic energy demand by swimming muscles. By accounting for large interspecific differences in net metabolic rates, we demonstrate, contrary to prevailing views, …

Fluid Interactions That Enable Stealth Predation By The Upstream-Foraging Hydromedusa Craspedacusta Sowerbyi, K. Lucas, Sean Colin, John H. Costello, K. Katija, E. Klos

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Unlike most medusae that forage with tentacles trailing behind their bells, several species forage upstream of their bells using aborally located tentacles. It has been hypothesized that these medusae forage as stealth predators by placing their tentacles in more quiescent regions of flow around their bells. Consequently, they are able to capture highly mobile, sensitive prey. We used digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) to quantitatively characterize the flow field around Craspedacusta sowerbyi, a freshwater upstream-foraging hydromedusa, to evaluate the mechanics of its stealth predation. We found that fluid velocities were minimal in front and along the sides of the bell …

Propulsion In Cubomedusae: Mechanisms And Utility, Sean Colin, John H. Costello, Kakani Katija, Jamie Seymour, Kristen Kiefer

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

Evolutionary constraints which limit the forces produced during bell contractions of medusae affect the overall medusan morphospace such that jet propulsion is limited to only small medusae. Cubomedusae, which often possess large prolate bells and are thought to swim via jet propulsion, appear to violate the theoretical constraints which determine the medusan morphospace. To examine propulsion by cubomedusae, we quantified size related changes in wake dynamics, bell shape, swimming and turning kinematics of two species of cubomedusae, Chironex fleckeri and Chiropsella bronzie. During growth, these cubomedusae transitioned from using jet propulsion at smaller sizes to a rowing-jetting hybrid mode …

Uncovering An Obscure Trade: Threatened Freshwater Fishes And The Aquarium Pet Markets, Rajeev Raghavan, Neelesh Dahanukar, Michael F. Tlusty, Andrew L. Rhyne, K. Krishna Kumar, Sanjay Molur, Alison M. Rosser

Arts & Sciences Faculty Publications

While the collection of fish for the aquarium pet trade has been flagged as a major threat to wild populations, this link is tenuous for the unregulated wild collection of endemic species because of the lack of quantitative data. In this paper, we examine the extent and magnitude of collection and trade of endemic and threatened freshwater fishes from India for the pet markets, and discuss their conservation implications. Using data on aquarium fishes exported from India, we try to understand nature of the trade in terms of species composition, volume, exit points, and importing countries. Most trade in India …

Insulin Treatment Attenuates Renal Adam17 And Ace2 Shedding In Akita Diabetic Mice, Esam Said Busah Salem

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Diabetic patients have a 40%-50% lifetime chance of developing chronic kidney disease, which remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Alterations within renin angiotensin system balance contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) has an endogenous renoprotective role due to its ability to form angiotensin (1-7) (Ang 1-7) by degrading angiotensin II (Ang II). We have shown previously that hyperglycemia increases urinary ACE2 and albumin excretion in db/db diabetic mice. The protease, disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) 17, is involved in the shedding of several transmembrane proteins, including ACE2 in vitro. Tissue …

Physical Exercise Training But Not Metformin Attenuates Albuminuria And Shedding Of Ace2 In Type 2 Diabetic Db/Db Mice, Hari Krishna Somineni

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Angiotensin II (Ang II), a potent vasoconstrictor cleaved from Ang I, is responsible for renal damage in diabetes. Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is highly expressed in the kidney and has been shown to be renoprotective by degrading Ang II to Ang-(1-7). A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinases (ADAMs) were recently identified as an ectodomain sheddases of transmembrane proteins. ADAM17 mediated shedding of renal ACE2 could contribute to the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. In our previous study, rosiglitazone treatment normalized hyperglycemia and improved renal injury by preventing ACE2 shedding. The aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that improved glucose …

Bioaccumulation And Neuroinflammation Of Gold Nanoparticles In The Central Nervous System, Fahimeh Fallahi

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Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) possess unique physicochemical properties that may facilitate entry into the central nervous system (CNS) where they may act therapeutically. There is little information on biodistribution or inflammatory effects of GNPs in specific brain regions. Brain Localization and neuroinflammatory response to citrate-capped spherical GNP (10 nm) was determined 24 hours after intravenous (IV) injection in male C57Bl mice. A known inflammogen, lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 2 mg kg-1, SC), was tested as a positive control supplement. Aggregation of GNPs was measured using various Phosphate-Buffered Saline (PBS) concentrations (10, 1, 0.1, 0.01 X) to determine the optimal buffer concentration to maintain …

Amp-Activated Protein Kinase Knockdown In Labyrinthine Trophoblast Cells Results In Altered Morphology And Function, Erica Ashton Kayleigh Carey

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The placenta is a transient organ that develops upon initiation of pregnancy and is essential for fetal development and survival. The rodent placenta consists of three layers with predominantly analogous cell types in the human placenta. The labyrinth layer, which lies closest to the fetus, facilitates nutrient and waste exchange between mother and baby. Abnormalities of the placenta may occur as a result of cellular stress and have been associated with the pregnancy-associated disorders, intrauterine growth restriction and placental insufficiency. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a master sensor of cellular stress and changes in AMPK expression or activation could be …

C-Bouton Coverage Of Alpha-Motoneurons Following Peripheral Nerve Injury, Esra Salah Shermadou

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Peripheral nerve injuries (PNI) cause alternations in central synapses leading to loss of function. The C-bouton synapses onto a-motoneurons in the ventral horn, and has a role in regulating motor output. Following tibial nerve ligation, the somatic C-bouton coverage is depleted (Alvarez et al., 2011), however, it is unknown what happens following crush type injuries. PNI causes neuroglia activation and proliferation that contribute to synaptic alterations, a response that has not been well-characterized in the ventral horn, where motoneurons are located. Therefore, I hypothesize that glia activation following peripheral nerve injury correlates to the degree of depletion of synaptic coverage …

K-Cl Cotransport: Role Of Kcc3 In Cellular Potassium (K) Homeostasis In Kcc3- Transfected Hek-293 Cells, Nagendra Babu Ravilla

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K-Cl cotransport (KCC) mediated by four protein isoforms, KCC1 to KCC4, plays a significant role in cell volume regulation, and in K and Cl homeostasis. In this study, we demonstrate the importance of KCC3 and its two threonine (T) phosphorylation sites T991 and T1048 in cellular K homeostasis in isogenic human embryonic kidney (HEK-293) cells transfected with KCC3 wild type (WT) or constitutively active double mutant KCC3 (AA) expressed under tetracycline or doxycycline control. In both WT and AA cells, under baseline conditions, the Na-K-2Cl cotransport (NKCC) (55 %- 60 %) was the major contributor of Rb influx followed by …

John R. Rice, The Sword Of The Lord, And The Fundamentalist Conversation: Comparisons With J. Frank Norris's The Fundamentalist And Carl Mcintire's The Christian Beacon, Robin L. Smith

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John R. Rice and his newspaper, The Sword of the Lord, were highly influential in the fundamentalist movement and the larger evangelical world in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. A comparison between Rice's writings and those of fellow fundamentalists J. Frank Norris in The Fundamentalist and Carl McIntire in The Christian Beacon reveal differences among fundamentalists that contributed to the split between fundamentalism and new evangelicalism in the 1950s. An examination of the men's attitudes toward separation, handling of conflicts and disagreements, political rhetoric and involvement in politics, and attention to social and cultural issues show that Rice is …

A Comprehensive Tool And Analytical Pathway For Differential Molecular Profiling And Biomarker Discovery, Claude Curtis Grigsby

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The key requirements to any empirically based study are to: (1) accurately measure and then compare the collected results in determining the result of the hypothesis being tested; and (2) collect a sample representative of the entities being studied. To demonstrate that an informatics tool can be designed that provides spectral registration, spectral and chromatographic alignment, visualization, and comparative analysis for data generated from multiple analytical platforms, e.g., LC-MS and GC-MS, the results and data analysis of five unique sets of experiments using a suite of novel informatics tools are presented. Comprehensive and reproducible sample collection techniques were developed concomitantly …

Simulating Hemodynamics In In Vitro Culture Models: Implications On Nano-Biointeractions, Monita Sharma

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Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) have demonstrated great potential in the development of a variety of tools with applications ranging from biomedical to military fields. Consequently, there is increasing concern regarding the toxic potential of these nanomaterials. Biodistribution studies demonstrate clearance of Au-NPs from peripheral circulation and bulk localization primarily in the liver and spleen post- intravenous administration. Deposition of Au-NPs in spleen suggests the potential for direct exposure of immune cells to these foreign materials under relatively static conditions. Although much less, due to the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), Au-NPs appear to also deposit in the brain, suggesting that the resident …

Chronic Swim Stress Attenuates Endocrine Response And Improves Cardiac Function In Mice Lacking The Angiotensin Ii Type 1a Receptor, Najat Khalifa Almahroug

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Stress is a stimulus that causes an often abrupt but always large change in autonomic activity and hormone secretion. Angiotensin II (AngII) is one of the main neurohormonal mediators that are stimulated by stress. AngII mediates most of its relevant biological effects via AngII type1 receptor (AT1R) activation. Stress increases tissue and circulating levels of Ang II which contributes to stimulation of adrenal AT1R, mediating stressinduced hormone release. Ang II through the activation of AT1R not only elevates blood pressure but also has a patho-physiological relevance in cardiac remodeling. The goal of this study was to assess the influence of …

Piezoelectric-Based, Self-Sustaining Artificial Cochlea, Jared Evans

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Hearing loss is a prevalent issue, affecting all ages in innumerable occupations. Cochlear implants are one solution to sensorineural hearing complications; and though they are commonly used, the electronic devices have limitations in power consumption and external equipment. Piezoelectric films emulate the relationship between the basilar membrane and inner hair cell structures of the human cochlear epithelium, inducing a potential difference in response to sound pressure. Through proper MEMS fabrication and material selection, an artificial cochlear can be developed utilizing piezoelectrics, which is self-sustainable and functions naturally with the mechanisms of the human ear. This research investigates the feasibility of …

The Molecular Genetics Learning Progressions: Revisions And Refinements Based On Empirical Testing In Three 10th Grade Classrooms, Amber Nicole Todd

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In the past few decades, there has been a large push for increasing scientific literacy (AAAS, 1989; AAAS, 1993; Achieve, 2013; NRC, 1996; NRC, 2012), especially in areas that are rapidly advancing, like molecular genetics. Much research has been done on student understandings of molecular genetics and the consensus is that the concepts are difficult both to learn and teach (Fisher, 1992; Horwitz, 1996; Kindfield, 1992; Lewis & Kattmann, 2004; Marbach-Ad & Stavy, 2000; Stewart et al., 2005; Venville & Treagust, 1998; etc.). Two learning progressions in molecular genetics have been produced (Duncan et al., 2009; Roseman et al. 2006), …

Libraries From Libraries Approach To The Synthesis Of Arylidene Oxindoles, Kyle James Knisley

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A libraries from libraries combinatorial chemistry approach was employed to synthesize fluorinated derivatives of both oxindoles and isatins as potential pharmaceuticals or targeting agents for imaging purposes related to cancer or Alzheimer's disease. Synthesis for these fluorinated derivatives are described by routes involving, either: a) N-alkylation of 5-substituted isatins followed by Wolff-Kishner reduction to the corresponding oxindoles and final Knoevenagel condensation with aryl aldehydes, or; b) Wolff-Kishner reduction of the isatins followed by condensation and finishing with the N-alkylation of the aldol products. In specific cases, a click reaction followed the N-alkylation of the aldol products to form the isatin …

Establishment Of A Quiscence Herpes Simplex Type 1 Infection In L929 Fibroblasts And Neuro-2a Cells By A Nucleoside Analogue Acyclovir, Noura Shaklawoon

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Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1) quiescent infection was established in L929 cells, murine fibroblasts, and in Neuro-2A (N2A) cells, mouse neuroblastoma, by treating them with the nucleoside analogue acyclovir (ACV) 24 hours before infection. Subsequent release of virus from the non-productive state was accomplished by treating the cells with the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA). Treatment of both L929 and N2A cell lines with ACV 24 hours before infection induced protection from HSV-1 cytopathic effect. A quiescent state was confirmed by absence of virus plaques when supernatant fluids from ACV-treated HSV-1 infected cultures were titered on Vero cell monolayers. …

"Characterization Of Red Diamondback Rattlesnake Venom Proteins On Cell Death And Function", Venus Ebrahimian

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Snake venom is composed of many different toxins and protein components such as metalloproteases and phospholipase A2. Together, these proteins cause an up regulation in cell death pathways and disrupt the overall homeostasis of a living cell. The Red Diamondback Rattlesnake is abundantly available and well-known specie and has been used as a source for development of new drugs. It has been mainly used for the purposes of making anti-venom but it has also been therapeutically used for surgical purposes to act as an anti-aggregate. Integrins derived from RDB venom has been used for cancer cell treatment as well. Specifically …

The Normative Ethics Of Gandhian Nonviolence, Jacob N. Bauer

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This thesis examines Mahatma Gandhi's ethical views on nonviolence from the perspective of contemporary philosophical ethics. Gandhian nonviolence is situated in the field of contemporary ethics by using the concepts and terminology from Shelly Kagan's work, Normative Ethics. Three questions are asked that classify and clarify Gandhian nonviolence. First, is nonviolence primarily instrumentally or intrinsically significant? This question is closely tied to the second, does Gandhian nonviolence belong to which type of ethical theory, consequentialism or deontology? And third, is nonviolence an absolutist constraint or a high threshold that allows for exceptions? Gandhi views nonviolence as both instrumentally and …

Computational Analysis Of Vortex Structures In Flapping Flight, Zongxian Liang

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Vortex structures and vortical formation in flapping flight are directly related to the force production. To analyze the connection between vortex structures and aerodynamic performance of flapping flight, we have developed highly efficient algorithms for large-scale flow simulations with moving and deforming bodies. To further understand the underlying mechanisms of force generation caused by the coherent structures of the vortex formation, a new analysis method has been developed to measure the influence of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) modes on aerodynamic forces.

It is challenging to finish three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of insect flight in a limited amount of time. …

Effects Of Red Diamondback Rattlesnake Venom On Keloid Dermal Fibroblasts In Vitro, Mackenzie Shelby Newman

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Keloid scarring is an inflammatory healing response to physical injury such as incision or piercing in the dermis. It is characterized by aberrant extracellular matrix production, the overaccumulation of mature collagen, and excessive fibroblast proliferation and migration beyond the borders of the original wound site. This results in swelling, depigmentation, itchiness, and pain akin to a benign tumor. Although there are myriad treatments for the condition, most are invasive and exhibit a high recurrence rate. Previous studies have shown that rattlesnake venom stimulates apoptosis in the skin via multiple specific mechanisms, largely composed of extracellular matrix and its receptors' interactions. …

Alchemy And Inquiry: Reflections On An Inside-Out Research Roundtable, Sarah Allred, Angela Bryant, Simone Weil Davis, Kurt Fowler, Phil Goodman, Jim Nolan, Lori Pompa, Barbara Sherr Roswell, Daniel L. Stageman

Publications and Research

In 2008, The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program convened a Research Committee to (1) facilitate a collective, critical, and professional consciousness about social justice, crime, and incarceration through the exploration of the Inside-Out program pedagogy, impact, and effectiveness; (2) develop and encourage proposals for various types of research that focus on The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program; and (3) establish ethical guidelines for inquiry that would meet and exceed the federal human subjects guidelines in research practices. In fall 2012, Research Committee members Sarah Allred, Angela Bryant, Phil Goodman, Kurt Fowler, Jim Nolan, Lori Pompa, and Dan Stageman joined with Simone Davis …

Out On The Land: Income, Subsistence Activities, And Food Sharing Networks In Nain, Labrador, Kirk Dombrowski, Emily Channell, Bilal Khan, Joshua Moses, Evan Misshula

Publications and Research

In recent Inuit ethnography, a major concern has been how and to what extent contemporary Inuit participate in and depend on subsistence activities, particularly in the context of increasing wage employment and growing participation in the cash economy. This paper provides an analysis of these activities in the predominately Inuit community of Nain, Labrador. Using social network data and demographic information collected between January and June 2010, we examine the interconnections between subsistence activities—obtaining “country food” through activities such as hunting, fishing, and collecting—with access to the means of obtaining subsistence resources (such as snow mobiles, cabins, and boats), employment …

Shifting Diversity Perspectives And New Avenues For Representative Bureaucracy, Nicole M. Elias

Publications and Research

This work explores the meaning of diversity for bureaucratic representation. In light of the United States becoming an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse society, attitudes and approaches toward diversity are likewise shifting. It is important to consider the way we think and talk about diverse representation, which in turn, contributes to different actions and policies within federal agencies. To evaluate this process of meaning-making, federal policy seeking to increase representation in the following Executive Orders: 13078, 13163, 13171, 13518, 13548, and 13585 is analyzed. Prime emphasis is devoted to the most recent and comprehensive efforts, Executive Order 13583: Establishing a …

Arkansas Animal Science Department Report 2012, David L. Kreider

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

The Phylogenetics Of Tachinidae (Insecta: Diptera) With An Emphasis On Subfamily Structure, Daniel J. Davis

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The parasitoid flies of the Tachinidae family are an important and diverse (>10,000 species) lineage of insects. However, tachinids are not well studied partially due to their confusing classification and taxonomy. DNA sequences were obtained from twenty tribal representatives of Tachinidae, along with eight outgroups in order to phylogenetically reconstruct the superfamilial, subfamilial and tribal relationships of Tachinidae. Seven gene regions of six genes (18S, 28S, COI, CAD, Ef1a, and TPI) were sequenced for each taxon (6214 bp total). Both maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods were used to infer phylogenies. The Sarcophagidae and Oestridae were usually reconstructed as monophyletic. …